Bank performance and noninterest income: evidence from countries in the Asian region

Noninterest income (NII) is income generated by banks from sources other than interest payments. Studies conducted on the relationship between NII and bank risk for the USA and Europe have found that emphasis on income diversification lowers risk in European banks but exacerbates it in American banks. Current research on Asian banks has not led to a coherent view of the relationship between NII and bank risk. We employ data over 25 years for 24 Asian countries to examine this relationship. Using the GMM estimation approach we estimate equations for two time-periods, 1996–2007 and 2008–2018, to examine the NII-bank risk relationship in the presence of some controlling financial, macroeconomic and policy variables. Our results show that non-interest income worsens bank risk for all 24 countries as well as for sub-groups of countries. We also find that, by and large, economic growth improves bank risk while inflation above a threshold worsens it. Finally, our proxy measure for monetary policy improves bank risk though fiscal policy seems to have no effect

Infrared emission from interstellar dust cloud with two embedded sources: IRAS 19181+1349

Mid and far infrared maps of many Galactic star forming regions show multiple peaks in close proximity, implying more than one embedded energy sources. With the aim of understanding such interstellar clouds better, the present study models the case of two embedded sources. A radiative transfer scheme has been developed to deal with an uniform density dust cloud in a cylindrical geometry, which includes isotropic scattering in addition to the emission and absorption processes. This scheme has been applied to the Galactic star forming region associated with IRAS 19181+1349, which shows observational evidence for two embedded energy sources. Two independent modelling approaches have been adopted, viz., to fit the observed spectral energy distribution (SED) best; or to fit the various radial profiles best, as a function of wavelength. Both the models imply remarkably similar physical parameters.Comment: 17 pages, 6 Figures, uses epsf.sty. To appear in Journal of Astronophysics & Astronom

TCP performance over end-to-end rate control and stochastic available capacity

Motivated by TCP over end-to-end ABR, we study the performance of adaptive window congestion control, when it operates over an explicit feedback rate-control mechanism, in a situation in which the bandwidth available to the elastic traffic is stochastically time varying. It is assumed that the sender and receiver of the adaptive window protocol are colocated with the rate-control endpoints. The objective of the study is to understand if the interaction of the rate-control loop and the window-control loop is beneficial for end-to-end throughput, and how the parameters of the problem (propagation delay, bottleneck buffers, and rate of variation of the available bottleneck bandwidth) affect the performance.The available bottleneck bandwidth is modeled as a two-state Markov chain. We develop an analysis that explicitly models the bottleneck buffers, the delayed explicit rate feedback, and TCP's adaptive window mechanism. The analysis, however, applies only when the variations in the available bandwidth occur over periods larger than the round-trip delay. For fast variations of the bottleneck bandwidth, we provide results from a simulation on a TCP testbed that uses Linux TCP code, and a simulation/emulation of the network model inside the Linux kernel.We find that, over end-to-end ABR, the performance of TCP improves significantly if the network bottleneck bandwidth variations are slow as compared to the round-trip propagation delay. Further, we find that TCP over ABR is relatively insensitive to bottleneck buffer size. These results are for a short-term average link capacity feedback at the ABR level (INSTCAP). We use the testbed to study EFFCAP feedback, which is motivated by the notion of the effective capacity of the bottleneck link. We find that EFFCAP feedback is adaptive to the rate of bandwidth variations at the bottleneck link, and thus yields good performance (as compared to INSTCAP) over a wide range of the rate of bottleneck bandwidth variation. Finally, we study if TCP over ABR, with EFFCAP feedback, provides throughput fairness even if the connections have different round-trip propagation delays

ALTERATION IN SERUM ZINC AND COPPER CONCENTRATIONS AND EFFECT OF ORAL THERAPEUTIC SUPPLEMENTATION OF ZINC ON TRANSFUSION DEPENDANT BETA THALASSEMIA MAJOR PATIENTS

Zinc is one of the essential micronutrients in human and act as a cofactor for more than 300 enzymes and plays an essential role in human growth and development. It has been observed that there was low serum zinc and elevated  copper level in β-thalassemia major compared with normal. Zinc deficiency is considered one of the main factors contributing to growth, cardiovascular diseases, and puberty disorders in β-thalassemic patients. Aim: The goal of the study was to scrutinize the impact of serum zinc and copper concentration in patients with beta-thalassemia major and also to observe the effect of zinc supplementation on transfusion dependent beta-thalassemia patients for six months. Method: 52 beta-thalassemia major patients were studied before and after supplementation of zinc for six months, and status was compared with 52 age and sex-matched healthy normal.  Serum zinc and copper concentration were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) method. Result: There was a significant depleted activity of  serum zinc level (p<0.001), and the copper level was increased significantly (p<0.001) in patients when compared with normal. After six months of supplementation of zinc, there was a significantly enhanced zinc concentration (p<0.001),and copper was marginally increased (p>0.05) when compared with normal and baselines. Conclusion: Beta Thalassemia  major children are on numerous blood transfusions all the way through their life. Due  to this  thalassemic children are at risk of secondary iron burden. This further leads to the  enhanced  oxidative stress. One of the way to may overcome this situation to supply regular zinc supplementation along with treatment, which may be helpful to manage the situation. &nbsp

ATTENUATION OF IRON OVERLOAD AND EFFECT OF ANTIOXIDANTS SUPPLEMENTATION ON OXIDATIVE STRESS IN HOMOZYGOUS β-THALASSEMIA

It has been projected that ferritin and iron yoke in homozygous thalassemic children is coupled with the enhanced free radical formation and blemished in antioxidative defense coordination. Aim: The purpose of the current study was to analyze the consequence of serum iron, erythrocyte catalase, and erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (ESOD) in patients with beta-thalassemia major. Method: 60 beta-thalassemia major patients were studied before and after supplementation of A – Z antioxidants for 20 weeks, and status were compared with 60 age and sex-matched healthy normal.    Serum Iron estimation was carried out by Ramsay’s Dipyridyl Method. Estimation of erythrocyte superoxide dismutase was done by Kajari Das Method. The levels of Catalase concentration in erythrocytes were analyzed by the Goth method.  All the objectives mentioned above were run by using a UV visible Spectrophotometer (Systronix). Results: A marked enhancement was seen in the intensity of serum iron, and superoxide dismutase (p<0.001) with parallel decline was observed in the level of erythrocyte catalase (p<0.001) in homozygous thalassemia patients when compared with healthy subjects. After 20 weeks of regular supplementation of antioxidants A-Z syrup, which consists of multimineral multivitamins, the concentration of catalase was increased whereas iron and ESOD (p<0.001) were reduced significantly when compared with normal and baselines thalassemic patients. Conclusion: Due to multiple blood transfusions, beta-thalassemia major children are at advanced risk due to secondary iron surplus and intense oxidative stress. Such kind of circumstances may be handled with supplementation of antioxidants A-Z syrup with their regular treatment. &nbsp

ATTENUATION OF IRON OVERLOAD AND EFFECT OF ANTIOXIDANTS SUPPLEMENTATION ON OXIDATIVE STRESS IN HOMOZYGOUS β-THALASSEMIA

It has been projected that ferritin and iron yoke in homozygous thalassemic children is coupled with the enhanced free radical formation and blemished in antioxidative defense coordination. Aim: The purpose of the current study was to analyze the consequence of serum iron, erythrocyte catalase, and erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (ESOD) in patients with beta-thalassemia major. Method: 60 beta-thalassemia major patients were studied before and after supplementation of A – Z antioxidants for 20 weeks, and status were compared with 60 age and sex-matched healthy normal.    Serum Iron estimation was carried out by Ramsay’s Dipyridyl Method. Estimation of erythrocyte superoxide dismutase was done by Kajari Das Method. The levels of Catalase concentration in erythrocytes were analyzed by the Goth method.  All the objectives mentioned above were run by using a UV visible Spectrophotometer (Systronix). Results: A marked enhancement was seen in the intensity of serum iron, and superoxide dismutase (p<0.001) with parallel decline was observed in the level of erythrocyte catalase (p<0.001) in homozygous thalassemia patients when compared with healthy subjects. After 20 weeks of regular supplementation of antioxidants A-Z syrup, which consists of multimineral multivitamins, the concentration of catalase was increased whereas iron and ESOD (p<0.001) were reduced significantly when compared with normal and baselines thalassemic patients. Conclusion: Due to multiple blood transfusions, beta-thalassemia major children are at advanced risk due to secondary iron surplus and intense oxidative stress. Such kind of circumstances may be handled with supplementation of antioxidants A-Z syrup with their regular treatment. &nbsp